There are lots of news in the world. And there are many forms of media and many journalists. The question is what news have they got to communicate? Mostly the media today revolves around political, business, entertainment, cultural and sports news. Maybe it is putting it too simply, yet the truth of the matter is
Do not be Afraid
It is of great comfort to note that the Christmas messages are full of this command: “Do not be afraid.” We find the angel tell this to Joseph (Matthew 1:20), Zechariah (Luke 1:13), Mary (Luke 1:30) and the shepherds (Luke 2:10). Angelic visitations were rare and an occurrence of the same was good enough reason … Read the rest
The Word Became Flesh
“The Word” refers to Jesus. He became flesh.
This is what John wrote about: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched–this we proclaim concerning the Word of life” (1 John 1:1 NIV). When the Word … Read the rest
Prince of Peace
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end1(Isaiah 9:6, 7a NIV).
No one … Read the rest
Everlasting Father
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,*[footnote] [emphasis added by author] [/footnote] Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 NIV).
“Father!”
This word brings memories. For some it means a strong … Read the rest
Mighty God
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,1, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 NIV).
A child! How can a child be “Mighty God?”
This is the mystery of Christmas … Read the rest
Wonderful Counselor
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be calledWonderful Counselor,1, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 NIV)
We have a Wonderful Counselor in Jesus Christ. For He is the wisdom of God… Read the rest
The Gift of God’s Son
The Bible speaks of God as our Heavenly Father. It also tells us that He is a giver of gifts. All His gifts are good. This truth is beautifully recorded thus: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” … Read the rest
A Sign
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14 NIV).
The virgin birth of Jesus was foretold almost seven centuries before it happened. It was a “sign.”
This sign shows that the sending of God’s … Read the rest
Let Us Go to Bethlehem and See
The shepherds were a blessed lot. The glory of the Lord had shone around them. They also got a heavenly Chorus to proclaim to them the birth of the Savior.
They were terrified by all this. But then the angel told them not to be afraid. He also told them that this was good news … Read the rest
The Holy Spirit @ Christmas Time
We cannot forget the Spirit of God during Christmas. Without the Spirit of God no Christmas is possible!
Usually we tend to celebrate all the lesser things during Christmas. While we forget to adore the loving Holy Spirit, gently yet full of power working the will of God and bringing it to fruition during the
John the Baptist–The Voice in the Desert
The birth of John the Baptist came about after an angelic visitation to his father Zechariah. He was born a few months before Jesus and later in life inaugurated the public ministry of Jesus by baptizing Him in the Jordan river.
John the Baptist was a Forerunner
He was the messenger sent with the good
A Sword
“And a sword will pierce your own soul too” (Luke 2:35b NIV). The shadow of the cross was real even during the first Christmas. Simeon saw it. He told Mary about it.
Simeon also told that Jesus will be a sign that is spoken against. How true it is today!
Why did he specifically give … Read the rest
Not Before Seeing Jesus the Christ
Not before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (Ref. Luke 2:26).
Simeon. He was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel. The Holy Spirit was also upon Him.
What a blessed man this was! He waited for the Christ. He was told by the Holy Spirit that he would not see
Dreams
We cannot escape the subject of dreams as we deal with the Christmas story in the first two chapters of Matthew. It is mentioned five times (1:20, 2:12, 2:13, 2:19, 2:22). Four times Joseph is guided through dreams and the Magi once.
As we look at the nature of these dreams we understand that God
No Room for Jesus!
Luke 2:7 NIV–“because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Has He any room today? We have Him in our hearts all right! But how much room does He have?
Airline and car companies talk about “space” in their advertisements. Why is this important? We don’t want to be crammed. We don’t want
The Humility of Jesus
Jesus gave up all His glory in heaven to be born a child on earth. It is like the waters of the entire oceans reducing itself to a drop of water in a glass. Or it is like the Sun reducing itself to a small spark left at the end of burnt scrap of paper. … Read the rest
Jesus the King
One of the unmistakable thoughts of Christmas is that Jesus is King!
And the most disturbing of all questions that Christmas brings us is: “Who is our king anyway?”
Is our king the images we find in our mirrors everyday? Are we so much in love with our own selves? So much in love with
What Does the Genealogy of Jesus Mean to You Today?
Let us be honest here. If we were given a chance to write a gospel account of Jesus Christ, we might never have started off with His genealogy. One of the difficulties that beginners who read the Gospel of Matthew face is this long list of names at the beginning itself. Wouldn’t this turn away
The Theme of Light
Christmas stars, candle lights, serial lights and many other decorative lights are a feast to the eyes during Christmas season. We grow up seeing them every Christmas. They have become part of our lives every year end. Without them Christmas may not be so bright for us.
So what makes them special? In fact, what
The Wise Men
Stirrings to Move Out
First of all, they saw the star in the east. And they came to Jerusalem. They could have stayed in their homes and rejoiced at the thought that they had been fortunate enough to see the star of the king. But they moved out. They could have sent messengers to greet
The Star
The star appeared when Jesus was born. It was a guiding star. It announced the birth of a king to the wise men (Magi) from the east. Probably the wise men had access to the words in Numbers 24:17, where Balaam had proclaimed: “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. … Read the rest
Nothing is Impossible
Christmas is also the story of a highly dramatic dialogue between the Angel Gabriel and Mary.
First there is the greetings from the angel. The angel greeted Mary saying that she was highly favored with God and that God was with her.
We have to try standing in the shoes of Mary to understand her
Smallness
Big things attract us easily but small things are not easily noted. Big things are given first choice by men but God often chooses the small things.
And then there are people who think small of themselves. There is not much in life they can be proud of. The only thing that they are conscious … Read the rest
Immanuel
God with us1
The glory from heaven came down. It inhabited a house of dust of which we are made. They called Him, “Immanuel!”
He came to be with us. He came to share in our humanity.
He came to take part with us in all our experiences–of joy and sorrow.
His coming then
Bethlehem
The word “Bethlehem” means “house of bread.”
Let us go to Bethlehem. We reach there around 1200 B.C. There is famine in the land. A man moves out with his family to the land of Moab in search of food. There he and his sons die. After all this, his wife heard that “the Lord
Jesus
Jesus1
“The name that is above every name’2
We all love our names. That is one thing that is music to our ears. It is what identifies and distinguishes each one of us from others as a unique and different person. Many names have meanings. And often the names of children reflect the
Christmas Posts List of Articles
Christmas holds special relevance for us since the birth of Jesus was announced to be good news of great joy for all the people. These articles will help you focus on Jesus, who is the reason for the joy of the season!
Where Is Jesus in Our Christmas Celebrations?
Jesus
Bethlehem
Immanuel
Smallness
Nothing is … Read the rest
My Soul’s Thirst for God
Reference: Psalm 42:1, 2
Discouraged brother/sister, there is no time like this to thirst after God. Many reasons might have clouded your mind with discouragement.
It can be some sin, some failure from your part, financial worries, broken relationships or even poor health. Whatever it be, now is the time to thirst after God.
Something … Read the rest
The Bible and You Posts List
This section helps you to understand some of the important truths in the Bible that can help you anchored to God in changing times.
What Does the Bible Say About Itself?
What Does the Bible Mean to You?
The Feast!
Practical Tips for Reading the Bible
Five Lane Bible Reading Program